At the start of the season, the Ravens had envisioned heading into the playoffs with a top-10 offense Instead, they are beginning the postseason at Kansas City this weekend with a bottom-10 one.
The players have shown no signs of panic but there are plenty of indications that they're disappointed with the regression of an offense that features a promising young quarterback, three proven wide receivers and a big-play running back.
Over the past six weeks, the Ravens' high-flying attack has taken a nosedive, dropping from No. 12 to No. 22. Their struggles bottomed out in Sunday's 13-7 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, when they could only put together 199 yards of total offense — the second-fewest in the 53-game Harbaugh-Cameron era.
As the production has declined, the frustrations along with the questions have increased. The players say they don't know quick-fix solutions but they know the ramifications: the Ravens won't make a major run this postseason if their offense continues to stall.
'I'm beyond just frustrated with what we've been doing on offense," fullback Le'Ron McClain said. "I'm glad we got the victory [Sunday] but it ain't good enough to go to [the Super Bowl in] Dallas. That's a fact. We're not going to get out of the wild-card game if we play like this."
The Ravens believe they have the players to be among the best offenses in the NFL (wide receiver Derrick Mason said this summer the goal would be No. 1 in the league).
In his third season, Joe Flacco has thrown for career highs in passing yards (3,622) and touchdowns (25) while setting the team mark for quarterback rating (93.6). Running back Ray Rice posted 1,776 yards from scrimmage, the third-most ever by a Ravens player. And the Ravens are the only team in NFL history to have three wide receivers (Mason, Anquan Boldin and T.J. Houshmandzadeh) with over 600 career receptions.
So, why do the Ravens have the lowest-ranked offense among the six AFC playoff teams?
"You can't really boil it down to anything — other than execution," Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. "The good news is … I think we are really close. I watch our offense every single day in practice, and I know how good we are and how close we are to being really good."
Harbaugh added, "[If] you keep chopping wood, you keep coaching [and] you keep practicing hard, we'll break out and play good offense. That's a certainty."
The Ravens have shown flashes of becoming a dangerous offense. Flacco has made some tough throws (like the touchdown to Houshmandzadeh in Cleveland). Offensive coordinator Cam Cameron has made some creative calls (like the flea-flicker that led to a tight end screen against Cincinnati).
Can the Ravens turn on the switch for the playoffs?
"Yeah, I don't think there is any doubt about it," Flacco said. "I hope I'm more a part of it."
Flacco hasn't been as much of the game plan the past three games, throwing 20 or fewer passes in each one. The Ravens' offense has become more centered on Rice lately.
"What will win this game for us is having everybody on the sideline playing confidently and excited about getting out there for the next series," Flacco said. "When we go out there and do that this week and play in our first playoff game, I think they will catapult us a little bit further for the next three."
The bigger disappearing act has been Boldin, who signed a four-year, $28 million contract ($10 million guaranteed) to be the top playmaker in the passing game.
In the past three games, Boldin has been limited to a total of five catches for 26 yards. Those numbers would be considered bad for one game by Boldin's standards. He finished the regular season with 62 receptions, his fewest since 2004 (and he played only 10 games that season).
Asked if he thought he would be more involved in recent games, Boldin said, "Yeah. Like I said, I don't have too much to say. I don't know."
The Ravens were equally as silent in the second half of Sunday's game. The Ravens failed to gain a first down on all but one possession after halftime. Their six second-half series netted yards of minus-6, minus-4, 28, 5, minus-1 and 4.
"I guess that has to be the theme of the playoffs — whatever is being called, we have to make it work," Mason said. "We can no longer point the finger. We've got to make it work as an offensive unit. There's no more excuses, because excuses are going to get you beat. The teams that make excuses are going to have to sit at home next week, so we can't make any more excuses. Whatever play is called, we've got to make it work, so you can't blame Cam."
The offensive troubles are magnified when the other parts of the team are clicking. The Ravens' defense has been forcing turnovers while regularly holding teams under 20 points. Their special teams tied an NFL record ( Billy Cundiff tied the league mark for touchbacks) and continues to pin teams deep in their own territory (Sam Koch finished second in the NFL with punts inside the 20-yard line).
"The defense and special teams are playing at a championship level," McClain said. "Offense, we have got to do better."
At this point, the Ravens' goal isn't to have a top-ranked offense. They want a Super Bowl-caliber one.
"I think we have exactly what it takes to win a championship," said Boldin, who is in his first season with the Ravens after spending seven seasons with Arizona. "And that's not me just saying that because I'm here. I've been with other teams, and I've been to the Super Bowl. I don't think we had half the talent that we have here. So, I definitely think we have what it takes to win it all."
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